Seeing as how The Avengers had the best opening weekend in history, it is clear that there is something enticing about the idea behind this film. And there is! For one thing, Marvel Comics has built up character backstories for years that people identify with either through comic books or the movies. But that is only one aspect that is appealing. The other is the interplay between these powerhouse characters and the fact that, though incredibly powerful on their own, only by combining their unique strengths can they overcome a massive, world-altering threat. It is this characteristic that businesses can learn from, particularly as it relates to the tools they use to solve their business problems. Can businesses really learn from comics characters? Absolutely! Lets delve a little deeper.

The Avengers Are Mighty Individually

Though it can be argued that certain Avengers are more powerful than others (Hulk, anyone?), it nevertheless remains true that each can stand on their own and still represent a potent and efficient fighting force. The same can be said of most quality business software. If a program is entirely dependent on another to be of value, then it is subject to weaknesses that might not befall a more independent system. Further, many programs like this do not represent a significant value, and are often upsells for a core product. While they might increase the functionality, they normally do so at a disproportionate cost. If a business chooses to abandon the core-product, the add-on will become worthless as well. Sunk costs like this can be very damaging.

They Work Better With A Leader

[Minor Movie Spoilers] In the beginning of The Avengers, the heroes are all tossed together and almost everyone gets in a conflict. These characters are all used to being at the top of their game, and they are all strong leaders. However, once they fall in line behind a certain spangly-bannered someone, they become much more organized and effective. In business, there are going to be certain programs that the organization is more comfortable working with. If other programs are proprietary and do not play nice with the programs that the business already feels comfortable with, then their value decreases dramatically. It is always easier to access information in just a few places. The more dashboards that employees have to go through, the more difficult it is to understand and execute on the information available.

Avengers Cover Their Weaknesses

The best part about the avengers is that, when they team up, they can overcome weaknesses. The Hulk has a group that can keep him in check and point him in the right direction. Iron Man has a moral authority to keep him grounded. Hawkeye has people to distract enemies while he shoots arrows from afar. The point is, they accentuate and enhance strengths while minimizing weaknesses. Business tools can and should do the same thing. If there is a facet of a comprehensive program, such as Microsoft Dynamics, that doesn’t quite work to solve your needs, another piece of software can be configured to jump right in so that you can keep going and get your work done. In the end, it’s all about minimizing problems and boosting efficiency.

Are you business tools super-powered? If not, take a look and see what will give them the juice they need to take on problems you face every day. That way, when a metaphorical planet altering invasion of space monsters occurs, you will be able to handle it.

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Marc Mathieu: topped Power 100 ranking

Unilever’s senior vice-president of marketing, Marc Mathieu, has been named the most powerful marketer in Britain, topping Marketing’s annual Power 100 ranking, sponsored by Engine.

Mathieu inspired the marketing community last October with his strategy urging a ‘more magic, less logic’  approach. The former Coca-Cola marketer called on  Unilever’s agencies to move away from numbers-led thinking, instead rewarding those prepared to take risks and support creative ideas.

Mathieu pipped Amanda Mackenzie, Aviva’s chief  marketing and communication officer, to top spot. Despite boardroom woes at the insurer, Mackenzie has continued to show her commitment to the broader marketing industry.

Marketing’s annual Power 100 celebrates the marketers who have had the biggest impact over the past 12 months.

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We’ve made the argument before that Twitter is effectively a media entity, distributing news and entertainment and other content to millions of readers in real time — although unlike traditional media entities, Twitter does this with anyone’s content rather than content it creates in-house. So far, the company has shied away describing itself as a media company, or exercising much editorial control over what it distributes, but there are some tantalizing signs that it may be moving in that direction. Could Twitter become a media player in its own right?

One element of Twitter’s potential mission appeared on Monday with the announcement of a weekly curated email that is designed to show users content they might be interested in from elsewhere in their social graph. The email is clearly an extension of the move towards curation that Twitter made when it acquired Summify earlier this year — and it both looks and sounds an awful lot like the missives that Summify sent out with similar highlighted content, a feature the company said was one of its most popular (News.me offers a similar type of daily newsletter).
Is Twitter hiring editors and producers to curate?
The second sign of what Twitter might have in mind came last week, when a job posting started making the rounds of journalism mailing lists and Twitter streams: namely, an opening for a “sports producer” who could help curate interesting news-related content around sports events. A Twitter spokeswoman suggested that the job was just another part of the media-evangelism task force that works with the company’s various potential media partners to highlight best practices — in other words, nothing special.

Still, it’s interesting to think about what might come next: Is Twitter planning to hire other types of editors in different fields? Does it want to try and create a BuzzFeed-type of offering, where it highlights interesting content being shared by users? The company isn’t saying, but it wouldn’t be a crazy idea — as we’ve discussed before, people desperately need better filters and curation to sift throughthe massive streams of information that are flowing past us all day every day, and Twitter is in a perfect position to provide them. But does it want to do that, or is it happy to leave that to others?

If it really wanted to, Twitter could not only use its own algorithms to generate aggregated content in interesting ways, it could start to accumulate a suite of tools that allow users and even journalists to do the same — whether it’s something like Storify or Storyful (which has a paid-for Pro version that helps media companies verify and fact-check the content they are collecting) or another curation/discovery service like Prismatic or Percolate, or even a consumption and recommendation app like Flipboard.

Being a platform is good — but Twitter may want more
At the moment, Twitter seems to be trying to walk a tightrope of sorts between being a media entity and being a platform that is used by other media players. Being a platform or a tool is good, because it means that the company can form all kinds of valuable partnerships with traditional media entities such as broadcasters and TV networks and movie studios — the kind that Chloe Sladden, head of Twitter’s media group, has gotten a lot of attention for. But platforms don’t always generate large amounts of revenue.

Part of the sales job for the media deals it strikes with broadcasters is that Twitter makes a great “second screen” experience for things like the Olympics, etc. So media conglomerates can incorporate Twitter into shows like The X Factor, and it increases the engagement between the audience and the content, and everybody wins. If Twitter were to start looking and acting too much like a media company itself — producing content or curating it in such a way that it added a lot of value — some media partners might theoretically see it as competition rather than a platform partner.

In a sense, this is the same kind of tightrope that YouTube has had to negotiate: it used to be just a carrier of content, and most of it was user-generated and of little interest to major media players — the only time they cared about YouTube was when it infringed on their copyright and they could launch a lawsuit. But then the network started creating its own channels and content, at the same time as it was trying to sell the networks and studios on its value as a place for long-form video.

Obviously, Twitter isn’t likely to suddenly start producing movies or books based on tweets, so the competitive aspect at least for TV networks is minimal (which could be why that was the first place Twitter started looking for media partnerships). But when it comes to the kind of content that newspapers and magazines are interested in, Twitter looks more like a potential competitor — especially if it gets really good at either aggregating/curating information in real time and/or recommending it.

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Nike: training club iPhone app

Speaking at the launch of Velocity: The Seven New Laws for a World Gone Digital, which he co-authored with AKQA chairman Ajaz Ahmed, Stefan Olander, vice-president of digital sport for Nike, said brands should stop focusing on clicks or “likes”.

He said: “A whole industry is stuck on trying to force old metrics on to new channels.

“Too many businesses are thinking ‘I need to sell inventory’, rather than ‘How can I add value to a smartphone, or a new device?’”

On the topic of social media, Olander questioned the recent valuation of digital companies such as Facebook, commenting that a $100bn valuation of a company based upon an advertising model is “a little risky”.

He said: “Advertising is an old model that is being squeezed into the new framework of social media, when the fact is that people don’t want to be interrupted.”

According to Olander, Google AdWords is the only commercial model that is proven to work.

He said: “You look at the Instagram $1bn valuation – and Instagram doesn’t make money.

“But it will be interesting to see, when it is combined with Facebook’s platform, what value that creates.”

Nike has moved away from investing in advertising to the creation of digital services such as Nike+. According to Olander, “once you have established a direct relationship with a consumer, you don’t need to advertise to them”.

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Senior Java Scrum Developer – My client, a leading IT / Telco solutions provider are seeking experienced Java developers with a solid grounding in Scrum / Agile methodologies to join their team.

This role is a long 6+ month contract and looking for a developer with a broad knowledge base and a passion for technology. Knowledge share across various Scrum teams is a must.

Key Skills & Experience

•Core Java / Java SE

•Solid understanding of design principles

•Strong skills across OO design, JUnit, Hibernate, Spring

•Experience in Perl or Shell Scripting

•TDD, Unix, Continuous Integration, Maven

•Strong communication skills

•Solid grasp of Agile / Scrum methodologies

This role is looking for a product focused individual and any experience in Telco is highly regarded. An understanding of 2G/3G/4G location architecture is a great to have.

Please contact or phone: 02 8083 8905

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Java Scrum Developer – Long Contract – Based inWollongong

Java Scrum Developer – Long Contract With Leading Solutions Provider. Join A Great R&D Team

Very Long Contract
GreenfieldProject Work
Great Company
Java Scrum Developer – My client, a leading IT / Telco solutions provider are seeking experienced Java developers with a solid grounding in Scrum / Agile methodologies to join their team in Wollongong.

Java Scrum Developer – This role is a long 10+ month contract in Wollongong and looking for a developer with a broad knowledge base and a passion for technology. Knowledge share across various Scrum teams is a must.

Key Skills & Experience

Core Java / Java SE
Strong skills across OO design, JUnit, Hibernate, Spring
Experience in Perl or Shell Scripting
MUST HAVE TDD, Unix, Continuous Integration, Maven
MUST HAVE Real Time Systems Experience
Multi – Threading Experience
Strong communication skills
MUST HAVE Solid grasp of Agile / Scrum methodologies
Java Scrum Developer – This role is looking for a product focused individual and any experience in Telco is highly regarded. An understanding of 2G/3G/4G location architecture is a great to have.

Please contact or phone: 02 8083 8910

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What you may not know about us is:
We’re in the Gartner 2011 Web Content Management System Magic Quadrant – one of only 2 open source companies to make it and the only Australian company;
More than half of all Australian government departments and universities use Squiz’s technology and services. We also have an impressive private sector portfolio ensuring plenty of exciting project work;
We have an international presence with offices in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, Wellington and Szczecin (Poland); and
We are a flexible employer, keen to find and nurture talent so that we can deliver the best service and most innovative solutions to our clients.

Due to continued growth we are currently seeking a talented Marketing Coordinator to join the team in our Sydney office. Working in the team to assist in the running of campaigns and providing general support to the Marketing team, we’re ideally interested in someone who has a passion for Marketing, someone who understand the Web and potentially someone with some experience in IT or Web solutions marketing.

The successful candidate will play a role in:
Squiz marketing campaign management across all forms of media;
Event Management – Conference, seminars, webinars
Providing support to the Marketing team by creating and developing marketing collateral to support business groups; and
Putting in place systems to measure prospective and existing customer sentiment.

Ideally we’re looking for candidates with:
Need to demonstrate drive, creativity, vision and the intelligence;
An introductory understanding of IT as well as knowledge of tools such as Google Analytics, Adwords and other digital tools;
Exposure to digital marketing such as content marketing, email and search engine marketing strategies;
A reasonable level of knowledge surrounding the launch and management of websites (using CMS systems);
Experience within the B2B sales environment;
Exposure to event management so as to support our events schedule; and
The ability to build relationships amongst various business stakeholders.

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Job No.:
600002
Department:
Cochlear Asia Pacific
Work type:
Permanent
Location:
Sydney
Cochlear is the global leader in the research and development, manufacture and marketing of implantable hearing solutions. Cochlear Asia-Pacific, the fastest growing division of Cochlear Ltd, with continued year on year growth of over 20%, has a direct market presence in Japan, Korea, China, India, SE Asia and Australia/NZ.

The Marketing Assistant is responsible for providing administration, process management and project support to the Director of Marketing and the Asia Pacific Marketing team.

This position provides marketing support to the operation and business system functions for the rollout and management of online services applications as well as strategic and tactical support for allied marketing divisions to drive demand through online and digital marketing channels.

Duties include:

Work with the marketing communications team to coordinate the review of new communications by country marketing persons and the regional regulatory and clinical teams maketing up changes and proofing copy.
Support the product marketing team to assist in the NPI (new product introduction) process by coordinating meeting schedules; inputting pricing and part numbers into spreadsheets; and coordinating the review of marketing materials.
Assist with the maintenance and management of CAP communications artwork.
Coordinate product catalogues and translations with local country marketing and customer service teams.
Arrange domestic and international travel itineraries.
Coordinate the regular updating of the Asia Pacific event calendar.
Requirements:

Minimum:

Word, Excel, Power Point and other software.
Initiative, enthusiasm, commitment
Experience in an administration role
Ideally you will have previous experience as a marketing assistant, but not essential.

Successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop marketing skills, gain entry into the profession and gain experience in Asia Pacific business.

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Looking for an adventure, not a job?

Icebreaker is one of the most innovative and dynamic names in the apparel industry. We’re a world leader in merino clothing and supply our outdoor, performance sport and active lifestyle ranges to more than 3000 stores across 37 countries.

We’re also a network of talented people who care about each other and believe deeply in what we do. We’re diverse, passionate, hardworking and fun. We work in an environment where you can be yourself and make a difference. We imagine the future and create it.

We’re looking for an experienced Marketing Coordinator to join our Wholesale team in Australia based at our Melbourne office.

Reporting to the Marketing Manager – Australia, you’ll be responsible for executing a range of programs including trade and consumer promotions, events, sponsorship, in store merchandising and fixtures and everything in between.

You’ll work with our wholesale partners to ensure that retail presentation excellence is achieved through-out the year. You’ll also ensure that our marketing programs are brilliantly executed in-store to deliver anticipated results.

We work collaboratively, developing and testing prototypes as a team. You’ll need to apply your thinking to projects ranging from simple to complex. You’ll work closely with the Marketing Manager to deliver a positive ROI on all marketing programs and grow our business through our wholesale retail partners.

To be successful in this role you’ll have:
2-3 years’ experience and a proven track record in a similar marketing role (preferably in the apparel industry)
a relevant tertiary marketing qualification
good understanding of outdoor/sports industry
knowledge of (and ideally skills in) campaign management
knowledge of retail marketing
event management skills
product merchandising experience
exceptional administration and coordination skills
outstanding customer service skills
ability to think on your feet
excellent communication and presentation skills
great time-management and prioritizing skills
strong MS Office skills including Excel, Word and PowerPoint
You’ll also be:
confident, enthusiastic and outgoing and have a natural ability to engage and persuade others
flexible to occasionally travel and work occasional weekends and evenings to support Icebreaker events
proactive and flexible in your approach to your work
proven to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressured creative environment
enthusiastic for Icebreaker merino and its commitment to nature and sustainability
If this opportunity feels like something you’re passionate about, and it fits with your skills and experience, please click apply below to send us your CV with a covering letter explaining why you’d be right for Icebreaker.

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